American jailed in United Arab Emirates on charges of defaming employer on Facebook back in US

TAMPA, Fla. – A Florida helicopter mechanic whose Facebook post complaining about his employer in the United Arab Emirates got him arrested has returned home to the United States.

Ryan Pate got off a plane Tuesday and hugged his fiancee and mother at the Tampa International Airport.

Pate, of Belleair Bluffs, was arrested last month in Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich Emirati capital, over allegations that he violating local defamation laws. He was accused of making a Facebook post during a visit to the United States that disparaged Arabs and his employer, Global Aerospace Logistics. He was reportedly upset following a dispute with his employer over sick leave.

Pate was allowed to leave the country after a hearing last week. The company agreed to drop the charges against him.